


He Shoots, He Scores (Right Into My Heart)

by Emmandroid



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Basketball, High School AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-06-08 14:11:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6858196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmandroid/pseuds/Emmandroid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The student council president doesn't have a crush on the school's basketball god. No, of course not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Starting Whistle

“The principal will see you now, Doyoung.”

“Thank you, Ms Hwang,” proffers the said lad with his signature face-splitting smile and a polite bow. He casually strides up to the principal’s office then and carefully swings the door open before greeting the head of their school with the infectious exuberance that they’ve already come to expect from him. It’s not every day that a student so naturally and smilingly takes a seat opposite the stern principal when he is summoned – it is after all usually a high school death sentence to be called to Mr. Lee’s office. But Doyoung is not in the slightest bit fazed. Why would he – when he, as consistent student council member and now student body president, is “Sooman’s sweetheart?” Not his words, by the way – strangely, the principal’s.

“I hope you don’t mind that I've already taken a seat, sir. How may I be of service today, Mr Lee?”

“Oh, Doyoung, you’ve been inside my office probably as many times as my secretary. Of course I don’t mind, lad.”

“Then I am glad. As much as I've established rapport with you, Mr Lee, it would be of great shame to me if I were ever to overstep my boundaries and be of discourtesy.”

“Ah, such a fine, polite, young man you truly are. Anyhow, let’s get to the matter at hand, then. Doyoung, do you follow our school basketball team?”

“Yes of course, sir. As student council president, I find it my duty to be updated on all the school organizations and athletic teams.”

“And you know how they are doing?”

“Yes, sir.” Doyoung’s eyebrows start to furrow unintentionally then, wondering just where this conversation is heading. “Are they doing poorly in your eyes, sir? Because they seem to be performing quite the opposite, what with their impressive scoring in this season’s games.”

“Oh yes, they are doing marvelously, the Bears. In fact, that’s exactly why I called you here. They're in a prime position to win the state championships this year, and I want you, as the excellent leader that you are, to monitor their progress and ensure they are indeed well on their way to that glorious state trophy.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how do I intend to do that exactly, Mr Lee? I'm not really…well-versed in basketball and am not on the team.”

“By making you assistant coach, of course!”

Wait, whuuut? “Does Mr Park know about this? I've never really been one of his favorite students, to say the least.”

“Ah yes. He did say you were the last person he'd consider making his assistant. He also laughed quite heartily, now that I look back on it.”

“Yes, that does sound very much what he would say.” And also not in any fathomable way encouraging, he thinks, still struggling to absorb this proposition.

“But...when he ran out of breath laughing, he did see the merit in my suggestion. He admits that his boys could use…what was his word again? Oh yes, his boys could use someone pushy such as yourself to tell them straight.”  
“Thank you? I suppose?”

“So are you up for it?”

“Is that even a yes or no question?”

“It will look good on your college applications.”

“Yes,” relents Doyoung then. Begrudgingly. With a dramatic, long-drawn sigh.

“Delightful! The team has practice this afternoon at 5. You can start then.”

With one final bow and a greeting farewell, Doyoung stands up and leaves the office, feeling impossibly stupid for accepting the principal’s offer. Not that he really had a choice if he looked at it, but still he feels awful. Because the last thing he ever thought he'd spend his senior year doing is hang around the basketball team.

Joy.

 

\---

 

He hears the sound of rubber soles scuffing against the polished wood and smells the sweat of teenage boys running past one another before he sees it, and quite frankly he'd do just fine without seeing it. Doyoung clenches and unclenches his fists at his side as he sluggishly navigates his way to the basketball court, black leather shoes feeling leaden with how he has to drag his feet one in front of the other to get to his destination. He still can’t believe he agreed to this. How was he supposed to act as assistant coach to a lot of jocks such as he's about to now? And Mr Park called him pushy? Because he certainly wasn’t the one doing the pushing in middle school when he was picked on by these boys in the courtyard. He furiously shakes his head, berating himself for thinking up that memory again. Curse his stupid brain. And then he remembers that Mark, his sweetheart of a best friend, actually made it through the tryouts; at least that’s one person he won’t need to be scared of.

Occupied with his internal monologue, he doesn’t realize his feet have brought him inside the court until he brings his head up and sees every single member on the team looking suspiciously his way. A piercing whistle breaks their stares off of him and directs them to the coach and his tyrant of a physical ed teacher, Mr Park.

“What’s up with all the staring? Haven’t you ever seen a nerd in your lives?”

“Not during basketball practice, we haven’t,” pipes up some guy, to the agreeing hollers of the rest of the team.

“Good point,” thirds Mr Park, as he himself also gives a tiny smile of assent. Of course he would do that. “But you just have to get used to it, boys. Because principal says that starting today, Kim Doyoung is going to be our new assistant coach.”

Honest to goodness, he expected to be made fun of – a good, disbelieving laugh erupting from the team as they slap each other on the back or drop to the floor in amusement. Maybe drop dead for some of them; he wouldn’t mind that. But what Doyoung did not expect was this silence, and if he were being truthful, he'd rather be made fun of.

“Yes, it’s ridiculous, but no, I'm not kidding. So pick your jaws up off the ground and let’s get started. Doyoung, go take a seat and watch.”

Without any more words from him or the team, Doyoung politely obliges and dawdles off to the second row of bleachers, Mark giving him a silent wave as he sprints past to position. He's just about to take a seat when a furious scraping of sneakers against wood sounds from across the room, and when he looks up…there, in all his sweaty, frazzled glory is Jung Jaehyun – the Jung Jaehyun.

Doyoung doesn’t know how he feels about that.

 

\---

 

He's at his usual lunch table the next day, fiddling with his napkin that’s perched on his lap, when Mark puts down his tray and takes the seat across. “Hey, hyung. So, how was practice yesterday?”

“You're the one on the team; why are you asking me how practice went?”

“I'm asking how it was for you. And by the way, I'm a bit hurt that you didn’t bother mentioning that, oh, I don’t know, that you're the new assistant basketball coach! Honestly, what were you thinking?”

“Woah, woah, woah there, young man. Don’t you go shouting at your hyung now. Didn’t you listen to Mr Park at all? The principal made me do it. Why the hell would I willingly spend my afternoons pretending to be interested in a bunch of jerks playing with balls?!”

“Because it would look good on your college application?”

“I already have enough extracurriculars to make my college application look good.”

“Well, I can think of one other reason,” Mark then drawls, one stupid seagull eyebrow rising in annoying insinuation.

“Don’t you dare say it, mister.”

“Jung Jaehyun.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that I do not have a crush on Jung Jaehyun?”

“As many times as it takes before you get tired of lying.”

“Why do you even find this so amusing? Hmm? Because this…fine, it’s a crush! This ridiculous one-sided crush is not the least bit amusing to me.”

“It’s cute. And Jaehyun hyung is a really nice guy; he won’t think your feelings for him are ridiculous.”

“Well, he still won’t reciprocate them so what’s the point?”

“You don’t know that. He's never dated before, and these days, a guy like that is probably gay.”

“So you're gay, then?”

Mark reddens like a beet at the counterargument, stuttering out “I'm 15! You can’t berate me for not dating this young!”

“Well, it’s your fault you're all red in the face. I know he's never dated before, so don’t make me any more falsely hopeful than I already am. Because even if he is gay, I still don’t stand a chance.”

“Well now you have a chance! You're the assistant coach because the principal wants you to ensure we keep winning. Jaehyun is our best player so if you want to make sure we keep winning, you just pay attention to him. It’s a valid excuse!”

“A valid excuse to do what? Stutter like a dimwit when I'm talking to him? Sweat like a man with a secret when I'm watching him play from the bleachers? Faint like a fat guy after running the block when I see his biceps contracting as he makes a score? What, Mark Lee?! An excuse to do what?”

“An excuse for you to get to know him and show your charms. Who doesn’t want a lucky bunny when they're playing for the state championship?”

“Shut…”

“And the time to show your charms starts now. Hi, Jaehyun hyung!”

If at first, Doyoung was pissed that Mark had interrupted him, he freezes as he catches on, especially when Jaehyun returns his teammate’s greeting and comes into view.

“Hey, Doyoung. You look surprised?”

“Mmmmee? Oh no, my eyes are just naturally big.” He chuckles, dying inside at the lame cover-up.

“Oh, okay then. I just wanted to apologize for making such a poor first impression yesterday. I'm not usually tardy. Not usually. Only on Tuesdays. And only because Mr Kim just doesn’t want to stop discussing asymptotes. Something about how beautifully tragic it is for two lines to come so close to each other but never fated to meet.”

“I understand. Last week it was about parallel lines.”

“Tell me about it. Well, that was all; I better get going. I'm looking forward to seeing you at practice, Doyoung. Thank you for agreeing to watch over us. The boys can be quite a handful sometimes.”

“Me too. I'm looking forward to it.”

And as the two awkwardly say goodbye, there in the middle of the cafeteria, at around 12:30, on a mystery meat Wednesday, Mark Lee watches them intently.

And Mark Lee giggles to himself. His hyungs are just too dense.


	2. An Opening

“Well that was interesting.”

“I didn’t get a chance to say this because Jaehyun came here, so I’ll say it now: shut up, Mark Lee.”

“No, I mean look at it: Jaehyun came here to our table, even when he was obviously in a hurry, just to make sure he didn’t leave a bad first impression on you. He cares what you think of him!”

“No, he cares what the principal thinks of him, and he probably thinks I'm a tattletale and that news of his tardiness will reach Mr Lee. That’s why he apologized.”

“Wow, you really have a sad way of looking at things. I saw everything! He was blushing!”

“Mark, can you just stop?” Doyoung pleads with obvious frustration marring his face. “I don’t know what you're trying to accomplish by making me believe that Jung Jaehyun likes me more than he actually does. So let’s just eat this lunch box that I made for the two of us and drop this conversation. Unless you want to keep yapping about it because then you'll have to buy whatever “food” the lunch lady is serving today.”

“Fine, I’ll drop it, but if only you listened…”

“Oh no, no buts. I've heard the last of it. Please don’t make it any more painful for me to be around Jaehyun because heaven knows how hard it already is without you feeding me with all this nonsense. So keep quiet and enjoy my cooking, or I’ll spoon-feed you like the cute little toddler that you are.”

“Then thank you for the lunch, Doyoung hyung. You are truly the best hyung a boy could have,” Mark says in a monotonous, almost robotic litany.

“You didn’t have to be so sarcastic about it, you little twerp. But here you go, eat up. And don’t dip it into the sauce too much; it’s not freaking soup for goodness sake.”

“I’ll eat well, Doyoung hyung. Thank you for the food,” Mark proffers, and sincerely this time, because no matter how much he teases the other, he really is like a caring older brother to him and he's very appreciative.”

Unbeknownst to Mark and Doyoung, from the other side of the cafeteria, Jaehyun catches them act sweetly with each other, having just returned because he'd forgotten to buy his chocolate milk. He can’t help but watch wistfully at the pair, wondering when Doyoung will cook him sweet and sour pork. “Soon,” he connivingly whispers to his stomach like the weirdo that he is, because before the season ends, he’ll make sure Doyoung would have fallen in love with him too.

 

\---

 

Despite his horrid first meeting with the team as the new assistant coach, Doyoung doesn’t feel so nervous coming to the next practice. And no, it does not have to do with Jaehyun approaching him during lunch. Of course not. He bows once to Mr Park and makes his way to his seat from the afternoon before, understanding that he still needs more time to observe the boys play. He was up all night reading on terms and tactics, and watched clips of legendary NBA players in their most iconic games. But being never the avid sports enthusiast, he ended up sleeping in front of his laptop screen. So yes, he still has a lot to learn about basketball.

Doyoung knew his best friend could play, but he didn’t really know Mark could play. His petite build normally made him look like a wimp (he's one to talk), but on the court, it makes for nimble movements and smooth passage between opponents. Also, he had excellent form and despite his obvious height disadvantage, could shoot excellently. Doyoung couldn’t help but stand up from his seat and clap like a seal at a circus when the younger had shot a three-pointer, unable to feign the pride of a hyung.

Mark had blushed furiously and hid his face in his palm.

The other boys had stopped playing and dropped laughing.

Mr Park shot him a dubious look from below the bleachers.

And Jaehyun…

He couldn’t help but smile.

But Doyoung didn’t see that.

Berating himself for acting like such a stage mom, Doyoung quickly sits back down, bowing his head and fiddling with his fingers on his lap as he waits for the raucous jeers to dissipate.

After practice, he sprints right out of the room. Seeing the flurry of a body trying to catch up with him from his periphery, he hurries even more, not wanting Mark to nag him about how embarrassing he was back there.

And then a hand comes up to tap him on the shoulder, telling him to wait up. And he swears his best friend doesn’t sound like that. Oh, crap.

“Jaehyun. What are you doing here?” he asks before even fully turning around, because after all these years, he knows just who that voice belongs to.

“You were so quick to walk out on us, so I worried there was something wrong.” When Doyoung couldn’t answer, because he can’t say nothing was wrong, Jaehyun continues. “If this is about you cheering for Mark, let me be the first person to tell you that there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. If anything, it’s actually very sweet how much you support him. I know he's an only child, and that it still is very difficult for him to adjust after having spent his entire life in another country, so for you to be there and be so supportive of him, is the last thing you should feel bad about. And I know he feels embarrassed about it now, but I'm sure that deep inside, he's actually really touched. And he might not say it, but you can just tell he's immensely thankful to have you as his hyung.”

Doyoung is taken aback – for once, not because Jaehyun is mesmerizing; but because he's profound.

And Doyoung feels like his heart is both warming because Jaehyun had consoled him, and breaking because he'd only just made it harder for Doyoung not to fall for him, and the wrenching anguish of an unrequited love knows no consolation.

“Hyung!” he hears Mark finally calling, thanking the heavens he doesn’t have to look at heartbreak a minute longer. “Thank you, Jaehyun-ah.” He says, one final time, and leaves.

 

\---

 

“I know, I'm sorry. I got a little too excited back there.” Doyoung explains himself before Mark even has the chance to say anything about the incident.

“Well, I'm not saying you should do it again, because Ten hyung was still laughing afterwards and pinching my cheeks, but I'm definitely not mad, hyung. So…was I really that good?”

“Aish, this kid, still fishing for compliments after I’d just embarrassed myself, again, in front of the basketball team. But yes,” he says while playfully mussing the younger’s hair, “you were very good. And no one in their right mind should underestimate you because you're a freshman or because you're not as tall as everyone else. Actually…scratch that: everyone should underestimate you so you can prove them all wrong and make them take back their words.”

And when Mark’s cheeks redden unbidden, but not in embarrassment, Doyoung can’t help but remember Jaehyun’s words. And he thinks he understands what he said about implied gratitude and “I love you’s” unsaid.

“So, one: what did Jaehyun hyung talk to you about just right now; and two: did I ruin the moment?”

“No, you did not ruin the moment. And let’s just say that your hyung had only now realized how kind Jaehyun really is. And that he'd only now realized just how screwed he is for feeling this way.”

“Ah, of course. It’s always so angsty with you, hyung. You should have your very own late night radio show for people with love problems. “Hello? Kim Doyoung-ssi? I've been in love with a guy for four years and it’s so sad because it’s one-sided. But I don’t really know this for sure because I've never given him the chance to talk to me.” Sounds familiar?”

“Go on; just keep making fun of it. You'll fall in love too some day. And then I’ll be there to say I told you so when you come knocking at my door late at night and crying your eyes out.”

“Hopefully you'll have ice cream in the freezer then, so we can both wallow in our misery while watching reruns on TV over tears and a tub of Häagen-Dazs.”

“Just don’t cry into the Häagen-Dazs.”

“I won’t.”

“Well, I'm heartbroken now so why don’t we do that already.”

“And I’ll be heartbroken in the future so you’re right: let’s have a tub now.”

“Hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere.”

 

\---

 

“So, Kim Doyoung, when do you think you can do more than just sit down and watch during practice? You are, after all, here as the assistant coach and not a VIP fan.”

“I deeply apologize, Mr Park. I’ll be down when you're going through tactics with the guys and input my suggestions if they're warranted.”

“You are just too polite, aren’t you? The boys are just going to chew you up. Be a man, alright, Kim?”

“Yes, sir!” he replies in his manliest voice, and then sings “Be a man, boy, real man, boy” under his breath sarcastically when the coach turns his back. It’s only been a few days since he’d been assigned to this post and Mr Park is already expecting him to “contribute” to the team. As if he'd actually listen to his suggestions. Doyoung’s pretty sure the coach still has it out for him after he hurled onto the floor freshman year when the coach had him still do pushups despite already having said he wasn’t feeling well. Honestly, it’s not like he was the worst student in his class. He's probably up there in the top three, but not the worst. So he just sits back down, though glumly.

Doyoung watches the rest of practice more intently after that and actually finds himself noticing things that some players have to work on – things involving footwork, jump, knowing when to pass the ball or chance a shoot, Jaehyun looking at him and giving a faint smile every now and then. That last one especially has to stop. And it’s not because Doyoung’s heart can’t take it; no, of course not. It’s just that Jaehyun should be more focused and concentrate on the game, and only the game, the whole time. It’s not like Doyoung was going to run away or fall asleep out of boredom, or that he has to care what Doyoung thinks. Damn Mark Lee for mentioning all those nonsensical hypotheses to him, because now it’s all he can think about. And he finds himself wondering: if it were a different student assigned to be assistant coach, would Jaehyun treat them the same?

Goodness this is getting out of hand. Mark Lee is so dead to him.

When practice ends and the boys all huddle together with the coach, Doyoung actually joins in this time, trying hard to (a) squeeze himself into the crowd of more built bodies, and (b) hold his breath so he doesn’t gag at the smell of sweat and something else. They all turn to look at him of course, unexpecting the intrusion probably, but give no comment about it. Mr Park starts pointing out boys and complimenting them on their performance or stressing out points for their improvement. When he gets to Taeyong, Doyoung thinks he'd forgotten to notice and comment on something, so he chances it and lets out a barely there cough.

“What is it, Kim?”

“Oh…yes. I don’t mean to be rude or presumptive…”

“Just get on with it, will you?”

“It’s just that I've been observing the boys the past few games and I've noticed Taeyong-ssi has been a little slower these days. But it’s just an observation, and I could be wrong.”

Looking across the circle, Doyoung notices that the boys either have quirked eyebrows or parted mouths on their faces, not expecting him to call their leader and valuable player out on his speed. And Taeyong is directly looking at him from across the group, expression enigmatic as ever, lips pursed in thought.

“He's right. I think I have been a bit slow lately.” And then he smiles, at him, and Doyoung mouths a silent thank you to the boy for not embarrassing him. Come to think of it, Taeyong never actually laughed at him at any point throughout his being here, and that makes him glad.

“Alright, then. Taeyong, if you’ve noticed that yourself, I trust you to work on it. We have a game coming up and we need everyone playing at their best and fastest, got it?”

“Yes, sir. I'm sorry to disappoint.”

“Okay, moving on, Ten…”

And as Mr Park continues giving pointers to the other members, Doyoung can’t help but feel just a tiny bit pleased with himself. He wonders if he can talk to Taeyong about why he hasn’t been playing up to speed lately; he is after all here to help the team in whatever way he can. When he and Mark meet eyes, the younger gives him a small thumbs up, and then he chances a glance at Jaehyun's direction, hoping and maybe half-expecting a smile his way, but instead the younger just looks away.

Weird, thinks Doyoung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo!
> 
> First of all, let me just put it out there that I do not have an outline for this fic, because I only intended for it to be a oneshot originally. So I don't know how long this will be (I probably won't drag it out though because I have issues committing T_T) or what will happen next.
> 
> With that said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (jealous Jae!!!) and anticipate the next one. \^_^/


	3. When The Ball Is In Your Hands

Jaehyun is livid.

It was so obvious today – so freaking obvious, that Taeyong has a crush on Doyoung. The team captain is a normally stoic guy and takes ages to warm up to people. Jaehyun remembers it took him months (months!) before the boy had cracked him the tiniest smile, and he isn't even sure if he really had been smiling or Jaehyun was just imagining it. And Jaehyun can be very cute when he wants to so it only proved that Taeyong had thick walls of ice around him for the guy to only be affected by his aegyo after such a long span of time. But then here he was, grinning so widely at Doyoung, who had only been with them for a few afternoons. And this even after Doyoung had told him he was getting slow. He was supposed to be at least slightly offended, not swooning like a schoolgirl.

With no one around him, Jaehyun slams his fist into his locker, and then instantly regrets it, his knuckles turning red and stinging at the force of impact. He clutches it to his mouth, wincing, and curses himself for doing what he just did. It just felt so right to punch something because that’s what every guy does in the movies when they've just had their heart broken. “Aish, you stupid, stupid boy,” he berates himself until the throbbing finally subsides.

But still, Jaehyun is pissed. He had never noticed Taeyong’s affections for Doyoung; heck, he didn’t even know the guy had the emotional capacity for a crush. Then again, every time Doyoung had been here during their practice games, Jaehyun's attention had been fixated only on him. He didn’t realize he had to look around to see who had been doing the same. Because someone had been doing the same, apparently.

And of all people, why Taeyong? Why did he have to compete with the most handsome, most popular guy in school? Because even if Jaehyun only had eyes for Doyoung, he knew a looker when he saw one and Taeyong was surreally breathtaking. The captain of the basketball team and the student council president – of course, it’s the dream high school pairing. And that thing everyone says about opposites attracting? He could already see Doyoung’s bright and lively persona balancing out Taeyong's cold demeanor. They really would make the perfect couple. Everything really is there.

He hopes these honey butter chips in his backpack can at least drown out some of the pain.

 

\---

 

Doyoung is livid.

He could just be paranoid but his gut is telling him otherwise. Jaehyun had been avoiding him and he has no clue why. His suspicions started that afternoon at practice when he turned to look at Jaehyun and saw the younger turn away. It bothered him but sure, he could convince himself that it was just a slight of the eye. The next day though? And the one after that? That couldn’t have been his imagination – Jaehyun was honestly avoiding him. And of course it feels like crap.

“Are you alright, hyung?” Mark gingerly asks him when he begins to stab his food.

“I'm fine,” he grits out; obviously not fine.

“So it was a stupid question, okay. Now can you tell me what’s bothering you?”

He sighs, finally putting his fork down. If his food could talk, he thinks they'd probably give a sigh of relief. If he didn’t already kill them, that is. “I don’t want to. You'll think it’s stupid.”

“What you're doing to your food is stupid.”

“Just mind that if you laugh, I will be going to the basketball team’s next practice with the photo of you in that terrible bowl cut last summer and show it to the entire team.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, I most definitely would. The guys would be laughing so hard you'd think they were laughing at me.”

“Fine. And keep your voice down, will you? No one has to hear about my bowl cut.”

“Good. I should really call to thank your parents for that. It’s blackmail gold.”

“I’ll give them the message. So are you or are you not going to tell me why you’ve been acting like a menopausal psycho today?”

“Jaehyun's been avoiding me,” he whispers, still tentative about saying it.

“What?? You’ve got to speak louder, hyung.”

“I said, Jaehyun's been avoiding me.”

“Oh. Why do you say that?”

“Because every time we pass each other on the way to class, he doesn’t look at me, whereas I make a fool of myself smiling and waving at him.”

“Maybe he really doesn’t see you.”

“Because during practice, he used to smile at me about every five minutes and now he stopped.”

“Maybe he's realized he has to pay more attention to the game.”

“Because he's stopped talking to me altogether.”

“Maybe…”

“Stop it with the maybes! I know Jaehyun is avoiding me, and you have to stop trying to convince me otherwise. It’s not like I'm jumping to conclusions because he didn’t say hi to me one time. This has been going on for days and it’s all I can think about.”

“Maybe…”

“I said stop it with the…” Doyoung bites out, fuming, hands into fists and teeth gnashed together.

“Maybe you should talk to him then.”

At the realization, all the fight and frustration visibly leave Doyoung, deflating and going speechless.

“Do you not see what the problem is? All this time, you’ve been expecting Jaehyun to make a step – to talk to you, smile at you. But have you ever initiated anything? Even in the hallways, you expect him to just turn around and notice you, because if you really do want him to notice you, you could call his name. Maybe he's starting to think he's annoying you and that you're only gratifying him, because you never show any interest besides smiling back and answering his questions.

And maybe, Doyoung hyung, maybe he's just as bothered as you; maybe it’s all he can think about as well. Because all this time that you’ve convinced yourself he doesn’t like you, so that you don’t hope, so that you don’t hurt yourself – maybe he does. And you can’t see it because you don’t want to open your eyes.

And if I'm right, he's probably just as scared as you. Love isn't cha-cha, hyung – you don’t take a step back when he takes one forward. It’s a tango, and you know it takes two to do that.”

“Sometimes I forget just how young you really are. But just for the record, you also take a step back when your partner takes one forward in tango.”

“Yeah…but you don’t turn away from the rose.”

 

\---

 

He's been assistant coach for a while now, the guys starting to warm up to and anticipate him during practice, but today Doyoung feels like he's entering the court for the very first time. Actually, he thinks, as he lifts his hand to his chest and feels his heart thundering madly inside – it’s much worse. It’s much worse because today…

He's confessing.

And just by saying it in his head, by imagining and putting it into words, he thinks he's already made an achievement. Because never in the four years that he's known Jaehyun did he think this day would come – 

Not on their first day of school, when he was just the gangly, awkward kid from the province who bumped into Jaehyun because he was too busy admiring the stairwells and high ceilings.

Not on their second day of school, when Jaehyun had smiled at him in passing and he panicked, because it meant the other had remembered him from their accident the day before.

Not on their second year of school, when they had finally become classmates and he found his eyes had gravitated toward Jaehyun and not the writing on the board.

Not on their third year of school, when they'd worked together for a project and Jaehyun had asked for his number so they could talk about the assignment over the phone.

Not on any of those days, on any of those chances, but today –

Today he's taking the chance.

He just has to make it through the game.

 

\---

 

Jaehyun knows he's meant to ignore him, but the conscious mind cannot dictate an automatic reflex. Because that’s what it is, thinks Jaehyun, when he can’t help but glance at Doyoung on the bleachers – it’s a reflex, an instinct, his own body telling him he needs to see the other boy.

He isn't stupid; he's sure Doyoung has noticed that he's been ignoring him these past few days. And looking at Doyoung just sitting there quietly, with no smile on his face or life in his eyes, absolutely breaks his heart. Did he do that?

“Hey, Mark, is there something wrong with Doyoung?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

He freezes.

“I'm sorry; I didn’t mean to snap at you, hyung. Doyoung hyung is just…nervous.”

Nervous? He chances another furtive look in the boy’s direction and then he sees it – the fiddling of his fingers on his lab, the subtle shaking of his legs, the erratic tapping of his foot on the floor. Doyoung is nervous. “Why?”

“Uh, he has an exam?”

“We don’t have exams scheduled until next week.”

“Right…you don’t. But you know hyung; he always has to be on top of things.”

“Right.”

“Uh, I think the game’s about to start. We should go now.”

Again, he isn't stupid; Jaehyun knows Mark was making an alibi just now. He takes one last glance at Doyoung, who is still looking anxious and absorbed in his own world. And for a second that feels like infinity, their eyes meet, before they quickly look away. “Are we both hurting?” is his final thought before he runs to the team.

 

\---

 

“This is it. You can do this,” Doyoung chants under his breath as soon as practice ends and the team disperse. “You can do this,” he tells himself as he spots Jaehyun sitting down and drying himself while he tries to collect his breath. “You…can…do…this,” he says again, though unsure of his words now, as he walks to Jaehyun before his body betrays him and his legs either give way or turn the opposite direction and run.

He locks eyes with Mark, who is standing at a far enough distance to be unsuspecting, and he gets a flying fist bump from the younger. When he'd told Mark that he was confessing finally to Jaehyun, he had volunteered to be there so that Doyoung wouldn’t be too nervous, or maybe it was to make sure he didn’t chicken out the last minute. Either way, Doyoung had been really glad because the thought came to him as well but he didn’t want to impose or to seem like a coward. But Mark had understood, and seeing him right now gives Doyoung some needed extra courage and reassurance. 

Also, if the confession didn’t go so well, he could stay with Mark at his place and stuff himself with ice cream in between ugly sobs. That actually doesn’t sound so bad.

Jaehyun notices Doyoung walking over to him; at least he thinks he is, so he stands up from his seat, albeit still breathing raggedly from practice, and meets him halfway. Doyoung however still seems to be in his head so they bump into each other as they're walking –

Like they'd come full circle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo~
> 
> I was actually supposed to update this last week, but when I reread the chapter, it just seemed off to me. So I scrapped it. Haha. I hope you guys enjoyed this new one!
> 
> And yeah, I still don't know how much longer this is, so let's anticipate it together! ^-^
> 
> Also, the Dream Concert is today (yay!) so let's anticipate our boys' performance.


	4. He Shoots, He Scores

“Hey,” proffers Doyoung, as coolly and unsuspiciously as he can get while he massages the spot on his forehead that had just hit Jaehyun's.

“Hi,” greets the other back, as casually as is possible when he's still a little breathless – whether from the tiring afternoon spent practicing, the collision he just had, being in front of and talking to Doyoung after so long, or all of the above – he can’t say.

Alright, introductions are over. What now? Is what reverberates through Doyoung’s mind as he steels himself to smile and not be nervous, or to sweat so goddamn much; geez, it’s not like you were the one training his reprimand to his body.

This is it; let’s get this over with is the next thought in his head. But it begs the question, “how?”

In an ideal situation, he would stare at Jaehyun in the eye, and if he turned away, Doyoung would hold him by the cheek and make him look. And then Doyoung would say,

“Jaehyun-ah”

And he would recite the script he'd made but two lines through would stop. He would stop, and Jaehyun would furrow his eyebrows. He'd have that worried look on his face, features asking why he'd stopped, if he'd retract what he said. And Doyoung would just breathe; he would take a deep breath, and he would look back up at Jaehyun and say that it didn’t feel sincere – that he didn’t need to use the dramatic monologue he'd written and stayed up all last night memorizing. He didn’t need to recite the words that he could think up anyway. Scratch that, he wouldn’t think up his confession; he would purge it. 

He would imagine all the memories, all the scenes; play out all those times Jaehyun had stood there in the hallways, when Doyoung could have sworn the world stopped, that the sun shone just a little more brightly as it streamed in through the windows and reflected the amber in his eyes. 

He would remember, from the heart, all those times that Jaehyun smiled at him, when even the corners of his eyes lifted up and his dimples would appear and Doyoung could feel himself be physically happier, as if joy truly were contagious and it overflowed from Jaehyun's body into his. 

And he would remember, most of all, how Jaehyun held him that day outside the gym when he had run away in humiliation; how he held him by the arms and told him he had nothing to be ashamed of. He would remember, still distinctly remember, the look in Jaehyun's eyes – the sincerity, the conviction, the adoration.

And Doyoung would shake his head because he'd realize just how foolish he had been; how it had been there all this time but he'd been too afraid to think, “heck yeah, this guy likes me back.”

And then he would smile; Doyoung would giggle, and Jaehyun would be confused but find it cute. And they would laugh; they'd keep laughing, and stare each other in the eye. Mark would leave then, from where he was standing yards away, with a smile on his face. He would look one last time at his hyungs and walk away, knowing all along, and knowing all along that Doyoung could do it.

Doyoung and Jaehyun would stare, but not uncomfortably. They would stare into each other’s eyes – not in the way that you look at art in admiration, or the way you can’t help but stare at that cute guy in front of the class; they would stare in the way you do out the window when you’ve just woken up from a particularly good dream, it’s a Saturday, and the sun is bright and sitting languid in the sky. It’s a stare that speaks contentment, a stare that feels enough – it’s the way you stare at something you don’t tire of and makes you feel at ease. It’s when you're staring at something in particular and you give a small smile; it’s when you're staring and you say, “I'm happy right now. It’s really as simple as that.”

That – that’s how Doyoung would like to make his confession.

And from the look on Jaehyun's face –

That’s apparently how he did.

 

\---

 

Jaehyun is breathless. He's still very much breathless. 

“Jaehyun-ah,” he remembers Doyoung tenderly say, with a hand on his cheek and a look in his eyes that scared him. And before he could reply Doyoung is starting – Doyoung is talking; he's reciting what Jaehyun can’t allow himself to think he is. And he's breathless, just a little bit breathless; as if even his heart had stopped beating to see what would come next.

And then he stops.

Doyoung – he stops.

And then Jaehyun is actually breathless; he holds his breath, wondering and worrying if Doyoung had changed his mind, if this were all some cruel trance and he'd snapped out of it.

But then he smiles.

Doyoung – he smiles.

And he continues, no, starts over. And this time it’s not recited; this time it’s not rehearsed. His words are not a monologue but a journey through his memory. His words are not words but images, pictures from their past, clips from a movie reel they both saw but with different eyes.

He would imagine all the memories, all the scenes; play out all those times Doyoung had stood there in the hallways, when Jaehyun could have sworn the world stopped, that the sun shone just a little more brightly as it streamed in through the windows and reflected the amber in his eyes. 

He would remember, from the heart, all those times that Doyoung smiled at him, when his lips pulled up into the largest grin and his eyes would water up just a little bit and still be big, beautiful discs of sunshine.

And he would remember, most of all, how Doyoung felt in his arms that day outside the gym when he had run in humiliation – would remember the hesitation in his eyes, then the belief, hesitation morphing into belief, and Jaehyun swore he could spend an eternity trying to convince this boy – this stunning boy, that he's perfect and that he shouldn’t ever have to run away except into Jaehyun's arms.

And Jaehyun would shake his head because he'd realize just how foolish he had been; how it had been him all along; not Taeyong, not anyone – him, but he'd been too afraid to think, “heck yeah, this guy likes me back.”

And then they'd giggle, and they'd smile, and then they'd just pause – looking, watching, gazing at each other’s eyes. And it'd be so easy, like looking in the mirror; like the glass were the thin space of air in between you, and your joy were their joy, and their smile were your smile.

That – that’s how Doyoung made his confession.

And from the look on both of their faces –

He's beyond glad that he did.

 

\---

 

“Hey, hyung,” Mark starts as he wipes the salt off his jeans.

“Hmm?” is all Doyoung could proffer with his mouth full of popcorn.

“I'm proud of you. I just really wanted you to know that.”

“Aish, you little sap,” Doyoung, flustered, replies; thinking and then thinking against taking a fistful of popcorn and throwing it at the younger. “You’ve wanted me to know that for like the hundredth time now. Jaehyun and I have been dating two months already, you know.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I do know. Could you believe it?”

“You know what? I honestly still can’t.” And Doyoung has this dreamy expression on his face as he looks out at the court that’s been both witness and instigator to the blossoming of their love story. “But I could definitely get used to it.”

And Mark smiles, proud, although he's sitting on the bleachers and not playing on the floor. He sprained an ankle last week at their practice game, and though it’s nothing severe, no one wanted to risk aggravating it by having Mark play in today’s match. Safe to say, everyone – the team, Doyoung, Mark obviously the most of all people, was shattered by the news, but being ever the wise and optimistic boy that he is, he limped into the court the next day with a joke and a smile on his face. “I still have a lot of games ahead of me. You old men are the ones graduating soon.” 

“Hyung~” they suddenly hear, and both Doyoung and Mark turn in the direction of what they're positive is Jaehyun whining.

“What is it, Jaehyun-ah?” he beckons his boyfriend (he's still not used to thinking of him as that), who obediently throws himself at Doyoung – literally throws himself.

And not only is he heavy, but he's also sleeveless and sweaty, and Doyoung can’t afford to zoom in on Jaehyun's sweat-matted hair strands or his rippling biceps. “What is it, Jaehyun-ah?” he repeats.

“Hyung, I'm nervous.”

Of course. “Jaehyun-ah,” he holds him by his cheeks like the baby that he really is, “You can do this. You and the rest of the team can do this. I have full confidence in you. And even if you don’t win, although I really am sure you will, I’ll know that you gave it your best.”

“Can I at least get a kiss good luck?”

So that’s what this was all about – a sneaky attempt, in pretense of pre-game jitters, to get a kiss.

“I’ll pass.”

“Hyung~”

And so he just plops one, right on the lips – quick, too quick for Jaehyun, so no one would have seen.

“Well that was hardly satisfying to either of us, wasn’t it?”

“Can’t you wait until after the game?? And also, Mark’s here.”

“That’s never stopped you before though, to be honest.”

“Gee. Thanks, Mark.”

“See?” Jaehyun seconds, like a puppy all too pleased with himself. “Also, the entire school already knows that we’re dating. And at least half of them ship us.”

“And the other half wants to ship us to Antarctica. Now stop being so smug and go get ready. I'm serious.”

“Okay,” Jaehyun concedes, farthest from okay.

But then, “Jaehyun? If you guys win, you can go crazy.”

“Oh. Like lift you off the ground and kiss you in the middle of the court crazy?”

“Yes. That crazy.”

“Jung! Get over here now.” They hear Mr Park yell then, as the team starts to congregate in the center of the court.

“Alrighty then. I’ll see you later, Mark,” a fist bump, “and Dokki,” a wink, before Jaehyun finally does turn around and leave.

“You do know they really are likely going to win, yeah?”

“Didn’t I just tell him that a while ago?”

“And you told him he could go crazy?”

“Maybe your Doyoung hyung wants a cheesy, cliché, chick flick kind of kiss every once in a while. Don’t you think so?”

“Well, he always has had a flair for the dramatic.”

And they laugh, between themselves, as the people start to cheer and the boys assemble on the floor. They send Jaehyun thumbs up just before the starting whistle, and he simply waves right back. 

Smugly, thinks Doyoung.

Smugly, knows Jaehyun. Because he just knows they're going to win. 

How?

Because only he, Jung Jaehyun, number 19, has a lucky rabbit.

And that lucky rabbit better start puckering up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! This wasn't the longest chaptered fic, but I'm honestly really happy with how it turned out. For not having an outline at the beginning and winging every chapter, I feel like this was a success. *hoping you guys do too*
> 
> Thank you for reading/supporting/loving this series, and though I don't want to jinx anything, I'm looking forward to writing more NCT and more dojae stories in the future.
> 
> For now, this is goodbye; it's been really fun. Until next time! :D

**Author's Note:**

> The world needs more dojae.
> 
> And like I read one night on Facebook, "if there's a story you want to read that hasn't been written yet...then it's your job to write it."
> 
> Fluffy dojae!


End file.
